March 19, 2010
Etymology

Etymology is the study of the history of words and how their form and meaning have changed over time.

For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages, and texts about the languages, to gather knowledge about how words were used at earlier stages, and when they entered the languages in question. Etymologists also apply the methods of comparative linguistics to reconstruct information about languages that are too old for any direct information to be available. By analyzing related languages with a technique known as the comparative method, linguists can make inferences about their shared parent language and its vocabulary. In this way, word roots have been found which can be traced all the way back to the origin of, for instance, the Indo-European language family…

2:38pm  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/459256582/etymology
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(No. OF NOTES: 10)
  
March 18, 2010
Entomology

Entomology (from Greek ἔντομος, entomos, “that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented”, hence “insect”; and -λογία, -logia[1]) is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology. At some 1.3 million described species, insects account for more than two-thirds of all known organisms,[2] date back some 400 million years, and have many kinds of interactions with humans and other forms of life on earth. It is a specialty within the field of biology. Though technically incorrect, the definition is sometimes widened to include the study of terrestrial animals in other arthropod groups or other phyla, such as arachnids, myriapods, earthworms, and slugs…

2:38pm  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/457054232/entomology
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(No. OF NOTES: 7)
  
March 17, 2010
The Missing Link

Transitional fossils (popularly termed missing links) are the fossilized remains of intermediary forms of life that illustrate an evolutionary transition. They can be identified by their retention of certain primitive (plesiomorphic) traits in comparison with their more derived relatives, as they are defined in the study of cladistics. Numerous examples exist, including those of primates and early humans.

2:38pm  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/454850252/the-missing-link
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March 10, 2010
Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer (German pronunciation: [ˈalbʀɛçt ˈdyʀɐ]) (21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528)[1] was a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since. His well-known works include the Apocalypse woodcuts, Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513), Saint Jerome in his Study (1514) and Melencolia I (1514), which has been the subject of extensive analysis and interpretation. His watercolours mark him as one of the first European landscape artists, while his ambitious woodcuts revolutionized the potential of that medium…

1:46pm  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/439388197/albrecht-durer
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March 9, 2010
Patience

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms include hastiness and impetuousness…

1:45pm  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/437225708/patience
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February 28, 2010
Manatee

Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. They are noted for their friendly nature, up to 4 meter size and paddle-like flippers. The name manatí comes from the Taíno, a pre-Columbian people of the Caribbean, meaning “breast”…[1]

10:32am  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/417691981/manatee
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February 27, 2010
Space Law

Space law is an area of the law that encompasses national and international law governing activities in outer space. International lawyers have been unable to agree on a uniform definition of the term “outer space,” although most lawyers agree that outer space generally begins at the lowest altitude above sea level at which objects can orbit the Earth, approximately 100 km (62 mi).

10:31am  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/415491078/space-law
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February 26, 2010
Sinbad

David Adkins (born November 10, 1956), better known by the stage name Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became well-known in the late 1980s and 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the family-friendly films Houseguest, First Kid, and Jingle All the Way.

10:30am  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/413400240/sinbad
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February 25, 2010
Shower

A shower (or shower-bath) is an area in which one bathes underneath a spray of water. [1] People very commonly use soap while showering.

10:29am  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/411283112/shower
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February 24, 2010
Franking

Franking (or “franks”) are any and all devices or markings such as postage stamps (including printed and/or embossed on postal stationery), printed or stamped impressions, codings, labels, manuscript writings (including “privilege” signatures), and/or any other authorized form of markings affixed or applied to mails to qualify them to be postally serviced.[1]

10:28am  |   URL: http://wikipediaarticleoftheday.tumblr.com/post/409192841/franking
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